rear brake line

[pw84]

I have an 85 gt that I have replaced the 7.5 rear end with an 8.8. I also ordered new brake lines and hoses and have reached a problem with the hard brake line that goes down to the rear axle. It doesn't have the same way of attaching from the body down to the axle, the new brake lines seem to fit on the axle between the wheel cylinders just fine but the new hose and fitting don't seem to fit together in any way I can figure out. Is it possible the the new rear hose to the axle is for a 7.5 rear axle and not for the 8.8 I have now.....I need help......do I need to reorder a new rear hose from the body to the rear axle for a 8.8?......thanks for any help!.....I checked the new hose I ordered from lmr and it is the correct one for a 8.8 rear axle but still I can't figure out how it is suppose to attach to the main steel line coming to the back from the master cylinder?.....

[Patrick Olsen]

Do you have any pics to show what doesn't match up? What part did you order from LMR? Do you still have the old line from the 7.5"? How did it attach to the chassis hard line?

[Jack Hidley]

This has been covered ad nauseam in this forum.

The 7.5" axle housing is almost always designed for a car with single exhaust, so it has the brake line tee and the brake hose on the right axle tube, which goes up to the right frame rail.

The 8.8" axle housing is usually used on cars with dual exhaust, so the tee is located just to the left of the pumpkin and the hose goes up to the floorpan in this location.

If you keep single exhaust on the car, just transfer all of the brake lines from the 7.5" onto the 8.8".

If you install dual exhaust, you are going to have to modify things.

[wraithracing]

The 85 V8 with factory dual exhaust pipes is the odd ball of the Fox Mustangs. This is the only year and model of Mustang/Capri that uses the 7.5 rear axle and the brake line on the driver side of the axle like all the 1986 and later with the V8. All the 7.5 axles with single exhaust have the brake line on the passenger side.

I just went thru this with Erratic50's Saleen clone. You either have to use all original 1985 brake lines and fittings otherwise you will have to modify to use the 86 and later 8.8 brake line on the axle. As you stated the new 8.8 brake hose from the axle will not match up properly with the 85 only mount on the body. You can swap the body mount off, although that will require that you modify the hard line on the body to mate up with the new 8.8 body mount. This is not an impossible fix, but it will take a bit of time to match up all the parts and make them work together. You might be able to sort out some type of adapter from the body mount to the new 8.8 hose, but I was not able to do that with what I could find locally. So I had to modify the line on the body and install the later model body fitting. Luckily LMR now offers the fitting so that can help out a bunch. https://lmr.com/item/LRS-2073BRKT/mu...-bracket-86-93

I am sure this about as clear as mud at this point, but hopefully that explains some of the issues you face. Good Luck!

[pw84]

Thanks for all the help, I looked up the fitting you pointed out at lmr and that looks like the missing piece. I have ordered the new bracket and will get here in the week and then hopefully it will fit and solve the problem. I knew this problem had been brought up before frequently, I just must have not gone back enough in this section.. thanks again.....I will post again when I install the new bracket........

[gr79]

Have gone from 4 speed to T-5. There are areas where the 5 needed different parts to work.
Never did the axle conversion. May have to someday, so have thought about it.
Same deal as trans. What could stay, what needed changing.

Picturing it from here and from what i read, the main connection from axle to main rear brake line do not match.
A simple adapter brake hard line section should work.
It would connect existing 7.5 rear brake main line to new 8.8 body side hose bracket hard line port.
A bridge to change from 7.5 to 8.8 brakes seems a simple solution.

Is now an 8.8 car. Use all 8.8 specific brake parts.
The 7.5 body brake line does not know it is feeding the basic 7.5 or 8.8 axle brake system.
Same line, securely mounted, wrong position for dual exhaust or to feed an 8.8 axle brake system.

Car has 7.5 body rear brake line. Much easier to adapt than change out whole line just for fittings or end bends.
In a way, the 7.5 rear body brake line can be turned into 'generic' use with the right parts.
The 8.8 body bracket and 7.5 body brake line need to be connected. Bridge the gap.
Short adapter hard line between 8.8 body bracket hard line connection port and the 7.5 body brake line

Use 8.8 brake parts on axle. 8.8 wheel brake lines, 8.8 axle hose bracket.
Use 8.8 brake flex hose, axle bracket to 8.8 body bracket.
Use 8.8 body bracket. Receives 8.8 hose from axle, provides connection for a brake line.
This is where 8.8 axle specific parts end, at the body rear floor pan.

On my 79, prob would need a right angle brass fitting off the pass side body brake line (exits the pass side floor pan).
Then a short line, toward the drivers side, to the new 8.8 body bracket.
SAE, Metric, metric to sae, whatever fittings they are. Bend tubing as needed.
Most stores have these lines already made up, being all metric, all sae, or a combo.

[Jack Hidley]

All the connections to go from the end of the rear hard line to the LMR bracket that goes on the floorpan will be 3/8"-24 SAE inverted flare. This is normal 3/16" brake line. The bend that goes above the bracket will need to be fairly tight.

[rich75043]

All the connections to go from the end of the rear hard line to the LMR bracket that goes on the floorpan will be 3/8"-24 SAE inverted flare. This is normal 3/16" brake line. The bend that goes above the bracket will need to be fairly tight.

That's what i used. A 3 ft section from my local oparts store was about 8 bucks. A friend of mine gave me the banjo to hard line bracket. I made the sharp bend you're taking about by inserting some bailing wire into the brake line and then making the bend that way it wouldn't kink. I then just pulled the wire out. Easy peasy. Then i made my bends and mounted the hard line and secured it with some mounts riveted to the under side of the car. Works a treat.

[wraithracing]

Again the issue with the 85 V8 models is the brake line is already on the driver side. The bracket and the hose that connects to the rear end are different than the 86-93. You can replace the bracket, but you will need to modify the line and the bracket IIRC, otherwise you will need to pull the line loose, cut off the fitting, install the correct fitting, flare, and then bend as needed to fit the new bracket.

Here are some bad pictures showing the 85 V8 rear brake line mount on the body.

[85WhiteGT]

Just did this same thing on my 85 this winter. Got the later body bracket for the 8.8, and had to slightly bend the body brake line to hook up. Then bought the 8.8 stainless line and bracket that attached to the axle. The axle lines from my 7.5 worked on the 8.8 with only minor tweaks. The 85 is mismatch of many unique parts.

[gr79]

Was not aware 85 was unique as to banjo vs straight connection at the body bracket.
And the different bracket angles and brake line end loops.
Pictures sure help augment descriptions and vice versa.

Assuming the newer 8.8 banjo fitting simply will not clip into the 85 bracket or is too short to do that?
Or it would have been done.
A custom spacer block, longer fasteners, under the new 8.8 body bracket for more line bend clearance 84-earlier?
Just some thoughts.

[Jack Hidley]

Trey,

Regarding your photos in post #9. Are these of a CFI or a 4 barrel V8 car?

I ask because the 4 barrel car had dual mufflers and the CFI car had a single muffler.

[Jack Hidley]

I'm guessing that it was a 4 barrel V8.

[EARLY84GT]

Trey,

Regarding your photos in post #9. Are these of a CFI or a 4 barrel V8 car?

I ask because the 4 barrel car had dual mufflers and the CFI car had a single muffler.

both of my 85 cfi cars came with dual mufflers and tail pipes

[Jack Hidley]

According to my Ford engineering documentation all 1984 and 1985 Mustang V8 CFI cars had a single muffler. All of the V8 4 barrel cars had dual mufflers with a y-pipe in the middle, so not true dual exhaust.

I'd like to see photos of the exhaust if possible to try and figure out if the documentation is wrong.

[wraithracing]

The vehicle in question is a 1985 Mustang GT 5 speed car. The mufflers and tail pipes were original Ford, but in front of the mufflers the system was muffler shop installed H pipe dual system. I believe as you stated the car originally was Y pipe equipped.

[Jack Hidley]

If the car had a 302 and 5 speed, then it was a 4 barrel car. The CFI engines only had an AOD behind them.

[Str8sixfan]

This feels like a thread I'll be coming back to in the next 3 weeks or so...

[KevinK]

According to my Ford engineering documentation all 1984 and 1985 Mustang V8 CFI cars had a single muffler. All of the V8 4 barrel cars had dual mufflers with a y-pipe in the middle, so not true dual exhaust.

I'd like to see photos of the exhaust if possible to try and figure out if the documentation is wrong.

Not true. Single cat yes. Check the exhaust diagrams.

[ZephyrEFI]

This feels like a thread I'll be coming back to in the next 3 weeks or so...

You don't need to use one of these. Just get a 7.5 brake hose and put it in the middle.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[Str8sixfan]

I'm trying to sort my puzzle out, so ZephyrEFI if you could explain more I'd appreciate it. I'm trying to figure out the best way to get from my passenger side drop over to the center of the diff. I assume I want to leave the axle lines as is - equal on both sides. Looked like ETCG just created a new intermediate line from the passenger side bracket over to the driveshaft tunnel area to then connect.

I'm also worried about the diameter of the line going through the floor board being insufficient for the LSC rearend. Do I need to upgrade that line? I can try and measure with a caliper tonight the sizes in lines if need be.

[Jack Hidley]

Kevin,

Check what exhaust diagrams?

[FoxChassis]

"Early" 1985 CFI/AOD had single exhaust carried over from 1984. (Cast iron manifolds, single muffler, single tailpipe with twin tips.)

After November 18, 1984 the CFI/AOD model got the exhaust system from the 4V/T-5 model. (Tubular steel manifolds, dual mufflers, dual tailpipes.)

Early 1985 CFI: 165 horsepower @ 3800 RPM, 245 torque @ 2000 RPM
Late 1985 CFI: 180 horsepower @ 4200 RPM, 260 torque @ 2600 RPM

[FoxChassis]

Check the 12/84 revision of the 1985 showroom sales brochure in the library here. It mentions on page 9 the exhaust change, and a 15 horsepower/torque bump, for the CFI/AOD models after 11/18/84.